By Jacob Messing

The elite defense of Sweden helped the blue and yellow to a 3-2 shootout win over Switzerland and a second straight gold medal at the IIHF World Championship on Sunday in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored on the Swedes’ third shootout attempt before Filip Forsberg’s decisive goal ended the contest and gave Sweden its third gold—and fourth medal overall—in world or Olympic competition in six years. Meanwhile, Switzerland earned its first medal since a since a 5-1 loss to Sweden in the 2013 world final. 

.@Trekronorse ?? ARE BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/gtfvaXFL7Q

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 21, 2018

While the Swedish blue line always receives a lot of credit—featuring names such as Ekman-Larsson, John Klingberg, and Mattias Ekholm—forward Rickard Rakell finished fourth in tournament scoring with six goals and 14 points in 10 games, which also led his team.

Then there’s goaltender Anders Nilsson, who led the tournament with six wins, a .954 save percentage, 1.09 goals against average, and three shutouts. The 28-year-old was an outstanding part of Team Sweden after being viewed as a weak point prior to the tournament. 

The Swiss don’t boast the same type of star power as Sweden, whose entire roster was made up of NHL players. But another silver medal points to significant growth in Switzerland since ending its 60-year medal drought end in 2013.

That growth is led by NHL players including Roman Josi, Kevin Fiala, Nino Niederreiter, Anthony Beauvillier, Timo Meier, and Sven Andrighetto, all of whom participated in the tournament this spring.

Timo Meier of @SwissIceHockey speaks about how proud he is of the team and their incredible performance on the way to claiming silver at #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/TJsXaj2BiW

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 20, 2018

All in their 20s, the Swiss have years of international success ahead of them, with more young, promising players such as 2017 No. 1 pick Nico Hischier on the way.

Rounding out the medalists is Team USA, which won its third medal in six years—all bronze—after a dynamic performance from captain and tournament MVP Patrick Kane, whose 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) led all players.

“He is an absolute winner. He wants to make a difference in every game,” U.S. coach Jeff Blashill told the NHL Network of Kane. “He wants to win. It's not about his own personal accolades, as much as it is about our team winning.”

The United States defeated Canada 4-1, the second of two wins for Team USA against its North American rival.

Used as Blashill’s go-to shutdown center, Dylan Larkin performed exceptionally well against Canada’s top talent, coming away with three goals, nine points, and a plus-6 rating through 10 games.

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